Commonwealth Survival Guide
by TrashCanWriting
Summary: The Great War ended and began the morning of Saturday, October 23, 2077. The Clawsons were apart of the very small population that had successfully taken shelter in Vault 111, being forced on ice for hundreds of years. Released into a hell she could not understand, Evangeline, the eight year old niece of Nate and Nora Clawson begins her journey to reunite her family.
1. Chapter 1 - America Tomorrow, Yesterday!

Chapter 1: Home of Tomorrow, Yesterday!

The day where the world was destroyed by War and radiation has been typically undocumented, people knew of that day in the Commonwealth, but no one really knew how fast it went, how one moment it was a calm Saturday morning and the next you were either dead, in the hands of Vault-Tec or underneath the ground in a home shifted bunker. How barely anyone knew if this was a drill or not until they were nothing more than Earth and soot. The way humans fought can be cruel. That would never change.

The day she lost her family because of the War she wouldn't forget: the day was a chilled Saturday in October. A normal, lazy weekend day where kids were home, parents were relaxing on the couch and Mister Handies was doing yard work. The houses on the suburban road were quiet during these days, somewhere out already to Concord or in the yard to enjoy the mild weather.

The aura of the suburban cul de sac so much more relaxed during weekends, without school or the workload, the domestic took this time to enjoy themselves, and most importantly to the child, her bed. She had been awake for some time, lazily posed as the world slowly went by without her, eyes shut as she stayed motionless. Her arm looped around her doll, though she had many, only one was allowed in her bed. A stuffed toy named Booboo, she has had the toy since infancy: Her face stuffed into the stomach of the thing. Her face was towards the wall, forgetting all about the world outside.

The rays of sun that filtered through was tinted a cream pink by her lace drapes, bringing light to her brightly aesthetic bedroom. Saturdays were where she could laze around until her friend was ready to play, awaiting her newest comic edition or planning out her newest Halloween costume. She might have stayed in bed much longer than she was allowed, but she was stirred awake by her Uncle and Aunt's Mister Handy robot.

She winced as her door creaked open, and the soft noise of the floating robot inched closer, he always made a whirring, hoovering sound. He had a booming voice and would not take a no for an answer- ever.

"Good morning, Young Ma'am! Your Sugar Bombs are awaiting you on the table!" The robotic happily chirped, exiting her room as soon as he came. She huffs, rolling onto her side, lifting herself by her elbows. She knew if she stayed in bed much too long, Codsworth would wake her much louder the next time he entered to check on her process of waking up.

Gathering all the energy she could, she rose from the soft mattress, crawling off the side of the bed onto the carpeted floor below her. Once out of her perch, she walked towards her dresser to pick her attire for that day. She felt a bit sleepy, but the ideas of Sugar Bombs and maybe sneaking a Nuka Cola was exciting enough to get her through getting ready.

Opening the double doors of her dresser, she slides the hangers of dresses one by one- all of which were stained, a bit ripped, or sun bleached from outdoor play. She chose the one with a mustard stain and a rip on the skirt where she had jumped over a gate: A casual black gingham jumper dress, with a long sleeve white button blouse. She was humming to herself, fastening one of her buttons on the jumper strap.

This dress was allowed to be ruined, unlike the second door of her storage, full of formal attire and fluffy socks that scratched her ankles. She didn't enjoy wearing those, avoiding them at all cost. Yet, Aunt Nora had been talking up this evening for a week, and Evangeline knew she would suffer a tight hairstyle and uncomfortable dress in the very near future- of that evening.

Uncle Nate was having a speech at the Veterans Hall, somewhere in Cambridge. Aunt Nora had gone to the clothing shop and spent all afternoon finding a dress to best go with Uncle Nate's suit. She knew she would have to brush her hair, attend without her sweater and being on her very best behavior. The idea of being stared at by all those people because she was Uncle Nate's niece, related to the War Hero, and being judged for every step she made was nerve-racking.

She hoped Booboo could come, Aunt and Uncle never made her feel bad about Booboo. Her doctor called him a comfort item- so Uncle Nate was nice about bringing him everywhere now. She grabbed her final piece of attire, a large, oversized knitted sweater. She slid it over her dress, hurrying out of her room to find Nora and Nate to share breakfast.

As she ran through the hallway, the bathroom door was wide opened, allowing the girl to see her caregivers in front of the bathroom sink, simply discussing things and preparing for the day. She slowed, wondering if they would join her in breakfast. Sometimes during the busier days, she would have breakfast first and then run out to the bus- it wasn't uncommon, but weekends were their day to spend with each other.

Nate was fidgeting over his appearance, trying to part his hair correctly- do everything correctly. He was so worried of that night, she felt the anxiety radiating off of him. Aunt Nora attempted to soothe his nerves, and Eva knew the two weren't ready to eat yet. She roamed from the living room to the kitchen, she slid into the kitchen chair as Codsworth poured the milk and cereal for her.

Codsworth was her best friend, other the Louis, Rosa's son. It was mostly her, Codsworth and Shaun in the house, she got very close with the robotic butler. Nora had begun her lawyering career after Nate had been drafted, and now that Shaun was born was starting again.

Uncle Nate was at home a lot, he was still job hunting, yet he was a decorated war hero- the government checks came and helped out the bills as Nora was finding cases. The house dynamic had found a comfortable balance.

"Miss Evangeline, after breakfast, I would recommend enjoying the nice weather! A crisp day it is." Codsworth then left from the table, beginning on the coffee and to make a more home-style breakfast for the adults, as Nate utterly hated Sugar Bombs.

Evangeline loved them- it was her favorite breakfast! After shoveling the contents of the bowl in her mouth, she crawled off from the chair and glanced out the den's window pane- perfect Fall day, maybe before going out to the Veterans Hall she could run off with Louis for a few hours. She would sneak on her Mary Janes and rush out- she just had to be back before five

She had her own bedroom, Shaun had his own nursery, and her Aunt and Uncle had their own rooms. So sneaking out would be easy if she was nice and quiet like in the spy movies she loved so much. She loved having her own room here.

When Evangeline just wanted to be alone, she could isolate herself in her room. She liked to simply sit in her bed, reading graphic novels, maybe even sneak a crank radio into her room and listen to the Silver Shroud station for a little while- Aunt Nora thought it was too violent for her, but Uncle Nate saw no problem.

Uncle Nate was always fun, he let her read his comic books, and she even got to watch Television shows Aunt Nora didn't think she should be watching at her age. Uncle Nate always treated her so much bigger than others did. He treated her like she could make her own choices, she really liked that. She placed her bowl into the sink, as Codsworth imminently trying to clean it, drying it inhumanly fast and putting it away.

She didn't know why Aunt Nora didn't want a Mister Handy sooner, she liked not having to clean the dishes anymore. She had more time to play! She hurried down the hallway, she needed to brush her teeth, wash her face, and fix her hair before she was allowed to go play outside by mister Codsworth.

It was fairly easy to slip past the adults, but Codsworth would watch her like a hawk, and if she tried to escape without finishing her morning rituals, he would find her.

Evangeline peaked into the bathroom doorway, the sight of Nora's hand onto Nate's shoulder caught her eyes.

"You're going to knock them dead at the Veterans Hall tonight, Hon."

"You think?" He exhaled, his hands onto the basin of the sink, staring at the mirror intensely, he kept trying to fix his hair- tracing his fingers over his roughly textured face. "My speech, it's too dark, too bleak."

Nora wrapped her arms around his chest, she continued to speak soft words of praise and encouragement, but Evangeline lost interest when she realized she couldn't do what she wanted in the bathroom. Her Uncle has been so worried about his speech, but she didn't understand why - it sounded like every other boring speech they made at school or events she had to wear itchy petticoats for.

So, now disappointed she couldn't sneak out easily, she chose to go play with her cousin. It was hard to really play or talk to a baby less than a year, he was heavy for her to carry and he drooled a lot. He couldn't talk and he still didn't know how to walk. She wandered her way into the nursery, the room was still and calm. She knew just what the two would do today- a tea party!

He was fast asleep, wrapped snugly in the blanket Aunt Nora first brought him home in. She stood right against the treated wood of the bars, she reached a hand in and tickled his stomach just as she saw her caregivers do.

This awoke him, enlightening an angry rage most infants possess when being stirred awake before he wanted to be. She didn't step back, she was used to him crying like that- she began to tickle and pet him, singing to him until she grew confident enough to pull down the bars just like she saw her Aunt and Uncle do, lifting the boy to her chest.

The baby had a soiled diaper, she felt it right as she picked him up. "Codsworth!" She exclaimed, placing the fussy baby back onto the crib mattress. He was kicking his legs in the swaddled blanket angrily at being put back down. Codsworth came hearing the baby so upset.

"Sounds like someone made a stinky!" He declares, using his grabber attachments to delicately undo his swaddle and change his soiled diaper. She watched as Codsworth seemed to know just how to soothe and care for the baby.

When the baby was finally changed and fed a morning bottle since he was still being so fussy, Codsworth gently placed the child back into the crib. The baby grumbles and groans, unhappy with his situation.

"Shaunny… Shaunny." She said in that high pitch voice she hears the grownups use, tickling him as he seemed to become more grumpy than angry. He wanted to be held, and she was just the person to do it. She lifts the infant back against her chest, hefting him off towards her bedroom. That was one perk to having her Uncle and Aunt so busy- she could sneak a bit of playtime with Shaun!

Codsworth drifted towards the kitchen as he was done with his duties, he couldn't calm a baby who wanted to be held- he was a needy baby sometimes. He liked being held and comforted, Aunt Nora had to stop working on cases just to coddle the boy. But Shaun wasn't picky on who held him, enjoying the soft bouncing of Evangeline attempting to carry him.

She luckily had kept the bedroom door opened from rushing out for breakfast. She had to use both hands to take the baby to her bedroom without suspicion.

She entered the room quietly, shutting the door with her foot as Aunt Nora didn't like her holding the baby without adult supervision. She couldn't place the reason- why she was so good! She never ever dropped the baby.

She laid him into the floor, right beside her short table- the table legs were so tiny she could sit on her knees and be comfortable. She then grabbed her porcelain tea set Aunt Nora had bought her. Aunt Nora told her since she was eight now, a big girl, she could handle glass toys- she had to be really careful. She couldn't even play tea party with her best friend Louis, because he was too rough- Aunt Nora claimed because he was a boy.

Shaun couldn't be rough to her toys like Louis could, so she laid the little teacup and saucer atop his abdomen tightly wrapped up in the little blankety.

Eva happily positioned herself across from her baby cousin. "How is the tea?" She did a mockup British voice, similar to Codsworth. She sipped the pretend tea loudly, the wrapped up infant was enjoying the ceiling of her pink room. He was like a doll, that sometimes cried. No matter where she put him, he would stay- sometimes that was bad, like the time she left him in the baby doll crib she had and she forgot where she put him.

Shaun was naive to whatever game Evangeline was putting him through. His little fist was halfway into his mouth, the other reaching to the ceiling.

The tea party wasn't as good as when Codsworth helped her, who would make her peanut butter jelly sandwiches cut up in 'tea squares' as he called them and made them real tea- she put half honey, half tea, with a teaspoon of sugar. It was their secret, Aunt Nora didn't very much like her having real tea parties after she spilled some on her good dress.

Though, her little formal gathering was cut short by the door sliding open, displaying Nora on the other side, Eva almost went stiff being caught, upon the sight of his mother, the infant screamed in delight, wiggling to get close to her- with her single right hand firmly on her hip, she walked towards her son laid in the floor.

Aunt Nora came in, moved the cup and saucer onto the surface, lifting the boy from the carpet as he calms almost instantly. He loved being held, Nora couldn't deny how she loved how easy she could soothe her son, how just holding him would make him feel so much better.

"Eva. He's just a baby, he can't do tea parties or play with you and your friends yet. Just give it a few years, and once he can walk, you can go nuts." She smiled, she never seemed truly upset at her for wanting to play with Shaun- but she just thought he was too young for all the fun she has planned for them both, or how she described it to the child.

After a few moments of coddling the infant as she stood, Nora began towards the door, with the older child quickly following her. She made the right towards the nursery and walked to the rocking chair, lowering herself onto it.

Aunt Nora rocking the boy slowly as he coos and speaks his own little gibberish language. She watched her cousin, yawning and almost falling back to sleep, even if he just woke up before she heard the front door opening and someone speaking, it was so muffled she could hardly hear it. She got excited, hoping Louis had come to ask her to play.

She ran past Codsworth and stood beside Uncle Nate, ready to run past him to go out with Louis. Though, as she hurried down the hallway and to the front door she found a man standing there with a fedora and beige trench coat.

She stood beside Uncle Nate's leg, taking a fistful of his sweatpants, earning a pat on the head from her relative as he spoke to the man on their porch. The man before her did a big show to welcome her, "What a beautiful daughter you have! All the more reason for you to sign up for Vault-Tec!"

The man was loud and Uncle Nate had that look of irritation he always seemed to have when dealing with door-to-door representatives; sometimes they would come to the doors of the better suburban community. She wanted to watch the interaction, as she had nothing else really going on.

"But there's room for my entire family right?" He gestures towards the girl against his leg, as the Vault-Tec Rep smiled down at the child before him.

"Of course! Of course! Minus your robot, of course, everyone is included." He had a sheepish grin, she frowned looking up at her uncle, taking his larger palm with both hands and gently tugging to get his attention.

"We can't leave Mister Codsworth." She tried to tell him, but Uncle Nate simply waved her off, removing his hand from her grip and patting her head. He had a light smile staring down at her.

"How about you go get ready, Sweet Pea." His voice was gentle but dismissive. She knew she would get nowhere with him like this. So she grumbled but walked off to get prepared for the day.

"Now we just need your family's individual S.P.E.C.I. ."

She grabbed the little yellow stool from under the sink, climbing up beginning to wash her face. She soaked a wash rag with some hand soap and begun to scrub her face. After her face was covered in warm water and suds, she lowered her face to splash over her expression.

She was humming Caption Cosmos theme as she squeezed some dentifrice on her toothbrush and begun to brush her teeth. After rinsing and spitting out the paste, she then lifted her head, going to grab the hair comb to detangle before she heard the slam of the door.

The heavy steps down the hallway were the only answer she needed for an unasked question- Uncle Nate was done talking to the weird man at the door. She was quick to forget finishing her hygienic morning customs to take a look outside of the bathroom, seeing Uncle Nate stroll within the nursery. With a grin, she entered the nursery behind him.

"Shaun is up early." The man leans his head towards Nora, who left a soft kiss on his jawline before she returned her eyes to the now calmed baby, who was lying against her chest. Nora cocked an eyebrow with that playful smirk she had when Evangeline tried to say Codsworth did something she did.

"Well, someone thought seven in the morning was the best time for a tea party." Nora gave a smile towards Evangeline, gesturing by nodding towards her. Nate glanced over, shook his head slightly and allowed a chuckle to slip from his lips.

"Of course." He would only laugh at her waking the baby up so early, he would always be so calm towards her about how she treated Shaun. Even when Aunt Nora would be so upset. Like the time when he was still so little she put him in her baby stroller and tried to take him to school- or when she tried to get him to sleep with her in her bed. So many countless times she was told she wasn't treating him correctly.

Uncle Nate stepped away from Aunt Nora to allow her to stand. She rose from the cushioned rocker with a quiet sigh, she moved her hips side to side to stretch a bit, before walking back to the nursery's crib. She gently laid the now calmed baby back upon the mattress, grabbing the side of the crib's bars and pulled upward locking them in place.

She gave a dreamy sigh, Aunt Nora would say how much she had waited for the picket fence and family life she had now; she would have a dreamy look about her when she was caring for the children or spending time with her husband- she really did love her situation.

"Listen, after breakfast, I was thinking of going to the park. Weather should hold up," Nora suggests, turning to Nate. She placed her hands on the crib's side, though, she knew she would definitely go to the park- just shooting out the suggestion near Evangeline would get her wild.

"I wanna go! Can Louis come?" Evangeline butted in, as Nora knew she would, she patted the jet black hair of the child, staring up at the husband with the grin she always had when she knew she won. Unlike Nora, Nate loved to stay at home, watch Baseball and relax on his weekends, but she loved to spend those weekends outside, actually playing Baseball or enjoying the park.

He might say no to Nora, but he was wrapped around Evangeline's finger. It was a two-edged sword, but she had learned long ago how to use it to her liking. He didn't seem upset by any means, he might not like going, but he knew he would get a big burger and fries before the day was over if they all headed out.

"Sure, sounds like a fun time- I'll call Rosa after breakfast." He waved his left hand in a offhandly manner, Evangeline got so excited she nearly screamed- but knew better than to do that in the same room with Shaun after last time. She had grabbed Uncle Nate's hand, going to pull him to the kitchen so he could hurry and eat.

"Sir, Ma'am, I think you should see this!" Just as she was ready to tell Uncle Nate he needed to eat breakfast now- she was stopped as they all heard Codsworth shouting from the living room.

"Codsworth? What's wrong?" Aunt Nora spoke, her words full of concern. Uncle Nate was the first to step out to the living room. She didn't understand what was happening, so when Uncle Nate began to shout for Nora to come here now- she froze, staring at Aunt Nora who grabbed Shaun without the gentleness and dreamy look she usually had and begun out the door.

Aunt Nora ran down the hallway, making the girl shadow her by gripping her hand. It was too tight; she tried to take the vine like grip away from her wrist: But Aunt Nora refused to let her go, forcing her to follow her into the living room. The television was telling them something with flashes, attacks, she didn't understand most of the words used. The grip loosened in all of Aunt Nora's shock as she held Shaun tighter with both hands.

"Oh my god.." Aunt Nora was looking at Uncle Nate, quiet, their faces distorted in panic. The man on the screen covered his face with his hands, the emotions, the feel of the room had changed so quickly Evangeline didn't know how to feel. Codsworth then grabbed the child's blue boots.

"I would suggest putting on some shoes, young Ma'am." The robotic nanny laid the pair before her, as he went towards the adults, drifting among them- waiting to hear what to do- should he pack? Should he take the children towards the vault? He was programmed to do what they told him to do.

She was slow to obey, starting to slide her foot into her dirtied blue boots. They were coated in dried mud at the bottom and time-worn from the time she has spent with them, roughhousing her favorite pair of shoes.

After she had them on, it was barely a moment later did the sirens activate.

The alarm rang, brash and loud. They were louder than the automated drill, and she could already hear the screaming of neighbors outside. She instinctively covered her ears. She was accustomed to drills, she practiced at school and with her family all the time, they were calm, professional, and felt so safe.

But the moment the horn went off, it seems at that moment everything went into chaos. The windows displayed so many people running towards the forest, the door swung open as Nora ran out with Shaun, she became frozen in place, mind going blank- that was just what Evangeline did in panic, she froze up.

Uncle Nate was the one who suddenly snatched her, hiking her up on his chest as he sped through the neighborhood. Evangeline almost dropped her doll in utter shock, gripping against him as he raced past the people and houses. She looked past his shoulder, she saw all her neighbors so afraid, hugging each other, some crying.

Her eyes search for Louis, would he go to the vault too? The road towards the forest was bumpy. She could only see a blur of her neighbors she had grown up with and the shouting of others. When Uncle Nate stopped, she felt she would fall over even in his arms by the force of his feet stopping.

Uncle was the one to demand access in the vault, shouting that they were on the list. The soldier glanced over the checklist. Evangeline saw her neighbors, everyone looked so scared, so heartbroken. She saw Rosa, eyes lightening up as she now thought her and her son would go within the vault with her.

But there Louis stood with Rosa, sobbing into the skirt of his mother, as she rubs her hands nervously. She tried to reach out, but the two acted as if they couldn't see her.

"Infant, Child, Adult Female… Go on in." He stepped aside, the two adults run past the gate. She pressed her forehead into the nape of his neck, there were so much shouting and disorder, she knew those sirens meant something was wrong, very wrong. They stood on the center of the circle, the ground was beginning to lower.

"Is Shaun okay?" Nate raced to his wife, holding the girl to his chest so tight her back hurt, as he looks over the baby.

"He's fine, we're going to be fine, we're safe," Nora spoke breathless, looking over the land of all of the helpless people. The baby's eyes were caught by him, looking up at his father as Nate sighs quietly. "Oh thank god.."

As soon as those words left his lips, the ground began to shake as a bright, fiery hot heat filled the air. Looking back, the two were met with the blast, with a mushroom cloud beginning to form high in the sky. It was definitely bigger than Evangeline's thumb. Uncle Nate grabbed her head, turning from the blast just as Nora had to Shaun.

The platform slowly begun to go deeper into the ground, the force of the atomic bomb finally hit them, resulting in some of the new Vault Dwellers and people to fall, the rumbling making even Uncle Nate almost fall. She gripped against the white shirt she was pressed to, and all she could think of was how Codsworth was all alone.

The lid of the elevator finally shut, making everything black. All she could hear was her breathing and the heavy pants of those around her. It was so dark, she hated the dark. "Eva, you okay?" Uncle Nate had finally addressed her, she had been so quiet the whole time, he worried she was going into a panic attack she would get sometimes.

"People.. People were still out there.." She barely spoke above a whisper.

"Don't think about it." Uncle shushed her, tangling his hand in her messy black bob, as Aunt Nora grabbed for Nate's arm.

"Oh god, just a minute later.."

She simply hugged him tighter, Nate stood up slowly, realizing they were safe from the nuclear blasts from outside. The platform continued down at a much faster pace, those around them were panting, afraid and trying to stay calm.

"We did it, we made it… We're okay…" Nora kept breathlessly speaking, cradling the child in her arms as she looks back to Nate and Nora. "We're all safe…" They then stood close to one another, Nate allowed Evangeline to stand on her own, holding her hand now as the platform reached the ground.

The cage portion of the wall begun to lift itself with a loud whirring, showcasing a Vault-Tec guard and another man in a simple blue suit. Eva felt another wave of dread as she looked at the tall man with the beard, he held a clipboard and spoke like he was reading off a script.

"Everyone! Please step off the elevator, and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion." He spoke loudly, as the guard walked towards the crowd, escorting them off the platform and towards the steps. Their neighbors were still trembling, in shock as they were guided forward. The guard wouldn't speak, he did not answer a single question, nor did he even make eye contact.

"We'll get everyone situated in your new home! Vault 111. A better future…" His lingering voice softened and fades as they walk up the metal stairs, towards the yellow gate opening. She didn't like this, she wanted to go home.

Eva held onto her Uncle's warm hand as the two were hustled up the stairs, the first thing she noticed was how cold this Vault was. Her bare legs felt freezing, as she huddled to the warmth of her Uncle.

'Vault-Tec Is Here For You…' The robotic voice droned on from some sort of speaker, repeatedly as they continue on the stairs. Aunt Nora was behind some of the other neighbors as for how they were shoveled in the steps, making Eva not able to see her. Uncle Nate held onto her hand tighter, continuing further.

A man near the yellow bars walkthrough checked off a clipboard as the new Vault Dwellers marched forward. He mumbles, smacking his lips jadedly.

"Adult Male, Child... Infant, Adult Female.." He mumbles under his breath, Eva was staring over the place. It was full of metal walls, painted blue and the Vault-Tec workers seemed so nice and calm, despite all of the chaos and fear in the room. The Vault-Tec logo was proudly embedded on different things in the vault, everything was fresh and clean- just like in the Television ads for the vaults.

Nate was handed a Vault Suit before the woman employee smiled at the young girl, who looked away at the eye contact. Uncle Nate squeezed her hand for comfort, so she leaned more against him, holding her doll tight.

"We also have Vault Suits for children, completely unisex, fashionable and comfortable." She handed the much smaller version of the suit to her. But Uncle Nate took it, walking down the hallway with the doctor as instructed by the woman.

"Alright, you four, follow me." The doctor smiled so widely, looking over the little family as he guided them down the hallway. The scientist was nice too, he explained everything calmly as Nora asked so many questions.

The next room was nothing but rows of just.. Metal shells. There was a man in this room also, who checked them off the list. Why were they checked off so many lists? Evangeline looked to Uncle Nate, wanting him to explain what this room was- yet, he appeared just as puzzled as her to this. The doctor simply smiled at the family's utter confusion.

"Just step in here and put your vault suit on, into the chamber whenever you are ready." He gestures towards the many cushioned metal husks that littered this room, Eva glanced over them all, Nate handed Evangeline her outfit, making her feel more insecure for having to change here before going in. Before she could voice her concerns, Shaun must had some complaints as well, as he began to sob loudly.

"Awe, who is my little guy? Daddy is not going far." Nate stepped closer, reaching his hands out as Shaun's tiny fists reach out for him, crying harder.

"There he is, see?" Nora laughs faintly, handing the baby over to Nate and then looking to Eva, who looked like a deer in the headlights. Nate swayed the baby gently side to side, babbling to the infant until he calmed down.

Nora kneels in front of her niece, "Let's get into your suit so we can start our new life, alright?" She helped the younger get dressed in the suit, putting all of her clothes in the bag as the rest were, but Eva, who kept her sweater. The scientist relented to her weak stare, Nora kissed her head. "I'm not going far either, I'll be right beside you. Look, Uncle Nate is gonna be able to see you the whole time." Her hands gestures towards the pod right in front of the one she was being placed in. Evangeline frowned, staring towards Uncle Nate who was still enjoying the laughing baby.

The decompressing pods reserved for them would allow Nate and Nora to look straight at each other, as Uncle Nate could see her from his. She wished she could see Aunt Nora, she wanted to voice her fear, her wanting to see Codsworth- but Aunt Nora kept a firm hand on her back, guiding her to the pod.

The doctors were pushy, nearly shoving them inside the little spaces, but Uncle Nate was ignoring them. Walking past one of the doctors and towards Nora and Evangeline.

Uncle Nate came forward, she looked up at him with the expression of fear and dread, but he leans down, planting a soft kiss to her forehead. She extends her hand towards the bundled baby, allowing him to hold her finger for only a moment before a scientist began to move Nate towards the pod.

Eva was ushered into the pod by another scientist, she sat down on the cushioned seat as the scientist sealed the door. She got nervous, it felt wrong. Uncle Nate's eyes were connected to Nora's, a little wave as the two put their hands on the glass as a way to connect as some sort of fog took over their pods.

The scientist came to her chamber, keeping such a kind smile adults had when they thought children were pitiful.

"The pod will decontaminate and depressurise you before we head deeper into the Vault. You're going to start a new life, cheer up." And with that, the man in the white coat briskly walked away before she could say anything. Her fingernails dig into the fabric of her doll. She didn't understand a thing he just said, but it sounded painful.

She didn't like this- she leaned back, feeling her eyes filling with tears- she hoped Uncle Nate would pluck her up right then and hold her.

'Resident: Secured.'

She heard the door tighten, air locking as she began to heave, she was trapped and alone- she suddenly felt the walls of the metal ball closing in on her. The robotic voice was nulling, becoming noise in her ears. Cold, snow like air filled her pod, making her gasp. The sudden volume of freezing air filled the small space, making her tremble as she could feel her doll become rigid from ice underneath her palms.

Eva tried to scream, yet everything lulled into darkness before she could do much.

When she first stirred, she could hardly move her head- everything felt stiff, her breath came out hot and heavy as lead. She couldn't grasp what was happening first.

Gaining consciousness, she found herself feeling cold and her muscles rigid, she gasps as her lungs fill with icy breath- everything felt wrong. She could barely see from the frosted window of the pod- how was this decompressering?

"This. This is the one." The voice rang, almost making every part of her body become awake as she had the realization it had to be the vault scientists- it was time to get out.

She leaned closer, finding two figures in front of the pods. She hit her fist again the window, her breath shaky, puffs of air leaving her lips- she was shaking to her core- she wanted out.

The figures were blurry, she rubs her eyes trying to focus. She heard soft murmurs before some new figure came forward- this one looked almost like a monster- tight in a suit of what looked like rubber skin, pointed forward to the pod of her uncle. She begun to hit harder against the window, screaming, she was cold and scared.

The rubber monster was standing before her Uncle's chamber, as another figure, darkened and nearly out of her view standing on the sidelines as the monster had come forward.

The pod unsealed, lifting the door as Uncle Nate leaned forward, coughing as the cold air filled his lungs as Shaun screams, weeping loudly as the sudden contrast he awoke to. The rubber monster reached for the baby, she was saying something, but Nate kept shaking his head.

Uncle Nate's eyes caught his niece, banging on the window and crying. He stood, his legs shaky as the man she could hardly see held something towards him- she began to kick and smack against the door. He was still hacking, holding Shaun with one arm. The creature grabbed ahold of Uncle Nate's arm, seeing as he was struggling to move, guiding him from the room. He points towards the two pods where the rest of his family was contained.

The man holding the gun looked over the two pods, eyes widening when he saw the crying child inside. Would he let her out? He turned sideways, shouting to the thing- but she couldn't hear. Why wouldn't she hear?

She tried to stand, but everything fell back into darkness before she could even scream. Eva was trapped again her mind, in the dreams that seem to never end with questions on her mind. She just wanted her family.


	2. Chapter 2 - All I Have To Do Is Dream

Chapter 2: All I Have To Do Is Dream

She was imprisoned back into her cryogenic pod the moment she had tasted freedom from being locked away, the moment the child felt they were being released, her mind was brought into the unconscious state she could only vaguely remember. It was a blurring experience, feeling like a dream she couldn't remember the morning after.

Inside her mind for so long, she did not dream, create fantasies or a life for herself in her mind. Memories, things she remembers, is all that floated through her head on a constant repeat. So, she was frozen, where her memories continuously played, with no escape in sight.

The memories felt real; she thought she was still in Aunt Nora and Uncle Nate's house. She felt the hugs and kisses and playing with Louis. One memory she always seemed to gravitate to was the first time she had ever seen her birth mother. The memory was bitter-sweet, almost surreal moment in on itself. It was odd to her that was the point in time that seemed so important to her; it felt so minor to everything else.

Aunt Nora had sat her on the couch, showing her the family albums. Uncle Nate was still in the war, and she had found out some months back her father was dead. She didn't understand why the war was happening, but she hated it. She hated she had not seen Uncle Nate for almost six months, she lost her father to it, and now her Grandmother had refused rights of her.

Aunt Nora must have seen how upset she was, as Eva now sat with a Nuka cola in her hand as Aunt Nora lazily flipped through the pages.

She knew the usual pictures, the ones of her Aunt and Uncle's wedding, her first days of school, Aunt Nora in college, and even some of Uncle Nate and her father in their youth. She was used to these photos and seeing her father made her heart sink more.

Just as Eva was going to close the book, Nora had begun to turn past the pages she was so used to, adventuring to photographs she had never seen. Her Father and Uncle in college, of her Grandmother and Grandfather before they divorced- things Eva had yet to see. If she didn't feel so glump, she would have felt excitement.

"Do you know who this is?" Nora turned her head towards her, smiling warmly. Eva's eyes followed towards her long fingernail tapping on a photograph.

The photograph was a baby and a woman, and what looked to be her father. The baby had a wisp of jet black hair just as hers, with her icy blue eyes. Her father gripped the shoulders of the woman, so tightly the fabric had been wrinkled by the force.

The baby was hanging off the hip of a young woman; scrawny with straight-leg cigarette pants and a tight, black turtleneck. She had one arm holding the baby, with the other hand making a peace sign. She had her tongue out in a toothy smile.

The woman had a happy grin, an expression so bright it looked like a child's face. "No.. it's not you."

The woman's blonde hair was so long it went all the way to her back- she had never seen a woman have hair that long.

"It's your mother, Betty." Nora was rubbing up against the child's arm, as Eva tensed. She was never allowed to know who her mother was, the adults in her life avoided the question with either gentleness or simply changing the subject. Her father shut down on her once for asking, locking her in her room for thirty minutes but never said why she was in so much trouble.

She wasn't ever allowed to see her, her hesitant fingertips reached, and gently touched the flat picture. Her mother was holding a baby version of her- and Eva had a fistful of that long, shimmering blonde hair in one grime covered hand. The baby was only half interested in the photograph, sufficiently engrossed in the long mane of the woman.

"She looks different." She glanced back up at her Aunt, who chuckles, going to another page to show Betty sitting on a counter at some restaurant, hands up in an excessive shrug as she grinned, her hands flat at her shoulders on each side. Her legs were crossed, looking off to the corner with that same innocence from the first photo. Her father was in this one also, looking young and without the scars he had gotten from war.

He sat on a bar stool, facing the camera with a stiff posture. He didn't radiate the life or fun the woman did. Evangeline felt a ting of grief as she never got to know this woman.

"Oh, she was, a poetic activist... The only woman who told your father when he was a tight up meanie." She coos, making the child look back at the photo for the second peek- her father looked as he did in the photo albums from years ago. He had the same stern, stoic countenance he had when she knew him. A gloved hand was on the thigh of Betty. He wore his military attire- he always did in formal situations.

Vincint was always dignified; his short black hair had been combed in a precise, clean cut. His attire was always pressed; without wrinkles, without a stain. That uniform was his pride. It was hard thinking of his memory, now that he was gone.

"This was their pregnancy photo, it's based off the first ever picture of them together."

Nora taps the photo on the next page, showing a much younger pair of the two, Betty was sitting on the same counter, holding a full glass of wine as Vincint had his hand on her knee instead of her thigh. Betty was wearing dungarees pants, a black and white striped shirt far too big for her, and a plain pair of white flatties. He wore a dark button-up cardigan and beige khakis. His posture was perfect- everything of him was neat and organized.

"Your mother loved poems. She named you after her favorite one." Aunt Nora pets her hair quietly as Evangeline continued through the pages of the album.

Eva began to have a big love for poems. It made her feel close to the woman in the pictures and stories. The laughing, happy woman who applied lipstick in the reflection of power armor and fought against the mistreatment of people in America. Aunt Nora fully embraced this new found love and gifted her a poem book on her seventh birthday.

Eva cherished the book full of poems, with an attached ribbon bookmark, the cover was thick, made of leather. She felt so adult when she read the lyrics or carried it around the school. It was her show-and-tell five times in a roll. Those memories, of her mother, seemed happy. Her mother left behind an idea of a perfect woman.

Memories of her father were more bitter. She has memories of being yelled at for not making her bed correctly or getting grounded for getting B's in schools. He wanted perfection from a five-year-old, and she could never provide that. He was so stoic until she did something he didn't enjoy, and then he would become so angry.

It sent a wave of sorrow across her family when he was officially dead- his stream of holotypes had dried, the usual reports, that felt like an official document, where he stated how many he had killed, what weapons used, and what he ate.

Only in passing did he ever mention he missed his daughter or his mother, but that was usually as a side note. He was an abrasive man, when not shipped off on the front of the war, Eva would dread his homecomings and stay with him. He had a strict schedule, which had to be followed precisely.

Even out of the battlefield, he wanted it, he had been raised as a military brat, and he wanted that childhood for her also. He expected high performance for everything she did, and she would feel drained by his visits. When shipped off somewhere, Grandmother Ethelyn or Aunt Nora would care for her. She rathered them much more.

Aunt Nora lived in Boston, and her Grandmother lived on the coast of Maryland. So the only times she would see Aunt Nora was if Grandmother Ethelyn was going for surgery, requiring someone else watching the child, or holidays when the family would all gather together. She hardly knew Aunt Honora at the time.

Grandmother Ethelyn was an acerbic woman, and she was not gentle or kind like other grandmothers in television or books she had read. She couldn't call her Granny or Grandma like other children; she was to be referred to as Grandmother Ethelyn, even before she could pronounce it correctly, she would have to attempt to say it- even if it was more gibberish at that point.

She was similar to her father but much more watered down on the strict expectations and the life she had to suffer through him. She expected Eva to be independent: Eva was taught to cook, clean, and care for herself once she could walk and form a sentence. She was no-nonsense and expected Eva to be a little lady always.

The rules, the chores, the studying that she had to do, she never felt unloved or not enough. Grandmother Ethelyn told her she was a brilliant child, that she would do amazing things as an adult. If anyone bullied Eva, Grandmother Ethelyn would wait outside the child's house more fired up than a guard dog on a trespasser. Unlike her father, she never felt she could lose her Grandmother's love.

Grandmother Ethelyn was the strongest woman she knew. She could intimate women and men alike. Eva would always feel so protected by her Grandmother. She was a strong woman, who did heavy lifting and labor even in her older years despite her relatives pleading for the old woman to slow down.

She was tough and said everyone needed to be tough in times of wars. She expected Evangeline to be so strong, even if Evangeline couldn't be like her Grandmother, who could lose so much and still be so strong, who could watch her sons go to war and always love her country.

She had never seen Grandmother Ethelyn cry before her Father's funeral, and if she didn't see it, she might not have believed it. She had seen the woman with a broken leg drive herself to the hospital, cursing and angrily shouting the entire way.

Aunt Nora told her emotional pain was worse; saying she lost her family, and that hurt worse than any physical pain. Evangeline knew that was true, as when they lowered her father into the muddy ground, the senior woman sobbed and screamed, falling to her knees. Grandmother reached for the coffin, and one of her distant male relatives had to grab the poor, grieve stricken woman from jumping in after the coffin.

Her Grandmother screamed and wailed. She kept saying the coffin was empty; her son couldn't have been buried in the soil of the country he loved so much. Evangeline was never allowed to know how her father died, but reliving that memory, the memory of Aunt Nora squeezing her hand so tight it felt it would break, she realized how this is what broke the family, the close-knit community the Clawsons made across the states.

When the worst day of Eva's life was over, Grandmother Ethelyn refused to care for Evangeline. She declined to share a hotel room with the child, and she had to bunk with her Aunt. She left for Maryland soon after and told Nora to get the child's possessions, including her dog. Aunt Nora was happy to gain rights of the six-year-old. Grandmother Ethelyn hadn't looked at Evangeline the same anymore. She felt she did something wrong, but she never knew what.

Nora stopped going to the Holiday events and begun to refuse contact with Ethelyn after abandoning the child. Evangeline didn't know how to feel about it, but she was happy she got her dog back when Aunt Nora collected her things.

Those memories, the memories of her father's death, her dog running away and Grandmother Ethelyn's abandonment, it was the hard ones, she always seemed to cry harder each time. She wanted to remember only the happy, because still faintly, at the back of her mind, she recognized what was happening outside.

Her favorite memories were Uncle Nate's homecoming, her dog and the days they brought home Shaun, then Codsworth. She always wanted to relive those, the tight hugs she got from Uncle Nate when he scooped her up in his arms, the dinner was still Drumlin Diner. He would order a big burger and fries; because he says, that is what he misses the most.

The memory of when Shaun first came home, and she was allowed to hold him was always so peaceful. He was so little, soft. He wouldn't cry as much, and he would sleep all the time. He was like a baby doll, and Eva never stopped treating him like one.

The year where Shaun was born, when Uncle Nate returned from the war and Aunt Nora found work was the best memories of her life. She could vividly remember the taste of smoky burgers that Uncle cooked on his grill in the backyard, she could almost feel Louis' tight grip on her wrist when he dragged her off to play, the way Codsworth would lift her by the underarms with his grabbers when she kept running.

She remembered sitting in her Uncle's lap, listening so excitedly to the Silver Shroud stopping bad guys. She could remember her Aunt's tender hands holding her cheeks in her hands to plant a kiss on her forehead, she even remembered long drives through Boston with Shaun in his car seat hung over the seat, with her dog's head on her lap. She had never felt so calm and loved before that year.

In these memories, she was safe; she didn't have to remember her Uncle and cousin were stolen, how she was left behind. Maybe she was dead, and this was heaven. By the constant stream of dreams, she was never able to think upon this situation thoroughly. Her body was not her own. Her voice was not her own, it only acted out what she remembered. Like a corrupted recorder, she couldn't break from the cycle.

She couldn't change the past, and no matter how much she tried on that test, when she came home, she was still smacked and yelled at by her father.

She was reliving another numbing day of school when everything went black, it was sudden, without warning and she was drowned in darkness. She couldn't feel herself breathing, nor could she move, the panic set into her mind before her eyes shot open, snapping the daze of unconsciousness as all the memories fade, her mind drew blank of all the time she had spent reliving those memories.

Her lungs took heavy inhales, causing the poor girl to cough as the icy air poorly settled in her lungs. Her body felt weak and beaten, her fingers numb from the ice that surrounded her, that laced her jumpsuit and flesh. The pod releases the door, causing her body to slam against the hard flooring below.

What happened when she was refrozen was bleary, but she had stood and tried to bang on the door of the pod. Which caused her to fall over once the seal had been broken, lifting the metal flap of the clamber. She curled on the hard surface; She was so overwhelmed, her body ached and shivered, her heartbeat felt so slow. She couldn't think straight past how freezing everything felt, how soaked her jumpsuit was.

She curled, her knees pressed to her chest as she tried to regain her warmth, huffing her lukewarm breath on her redden knuckles. It was such a contrast her mind was blank, attempting to recover.

The ice slowly melted off her, only causing her to become more cold, she held onto her soaked sweater, sniffling quietly. She shut her eyes tight, pretending her Uncle had scooped her up in his warm arms like that winter night when she had fallen in the snow.

She was only semi-conscious, drifting in and out of sleep, her body felt weak with exhaustion, but she didn't want to sleep, she had slept so long- why was she so tired? Her fisted hands were to her mouth, trying to soak in the warmth of her quiet whimpers and breath. Before her, she saw the doll she had been trapped with- laying right beside her. Her hands extend, slowly pulling the comfort item to her chest.

She recovered slowly, her head lifting to see the pod of her Uncle's- emptied. She stampers up, on her feeble knees and hurried across the room to the pod. She had tried to slam her fists against the window, but her eyes caught the lever.

She pulled it down, panicked and moving erratically. The door unsealed, slowly opening. She shoved her head inside once the door had opened wide. The icy water still dripped from the chair, where no one sat. The room was cold, so cold she couldn't stop her trembling. She stood, on sore feet towards the pod that was next to her. Aunt Nora was still inside, feeling a flicker of hope, she trudged towards the glass window of the shell.

Her arms were tightly wrapped around her, her thighs pressed together, panting as she looked to the lever, reaching a meek hand out and pulling it downward. It rang a noise of error, making the young girl released a choked cry of panic.

'Malfunction in Cryo Pod manual release override.' The child had no concept of what the voice meant, panic beginning to fill her senses as the door would not open. She kept slamming the lever handle upward, then down, trying to force it to work. The same error noise came, making her grip tighter against the switch.

She tried the other clambers, gaining the same response. "-Hello? Anyone!?" She yelled, hearing her voice bounce off the walls, her only answer was the humming of machines and the leaking icicles.

Eva couldn't stay calm, she was a child, alone, in a place she didn't know. She started to bunch her fists in her black bob, beginning to pull downward. It was a nervous habit, her doctor said, she missed the rough hands of her Uncle's who pulled her wrists so gently away from her hair, and how her Aunt would run her thin fingers through her hair, humming a calming tone to get her to untense.

But Evangeline didn't have this comfort now, she had to begin her breathing methods to calm herself down- she needed her Uncle, or a scientist, to get her Aunt out of the pod. That wouldn't be hard, she found adults all the time where she thought there were none. She removed her hands from her hair, gingerly, as she saw all the black strands on her palm. She narrowed her eyes as she realized what she had done.

She had pulled her hair again, that wasn't good- she hasn't done that since her father died. She waves the strands the best she could, but her clammy hands kept the strands glued to her skin. Frustrated, she just rubbed her hands against the skin-tight suit. She felt so constricted in the blue suit, wet and cold. It was like a constant hose of cold water sprayed over her.

Walking past the sleeves of chambers, the echoes of her footsteps reminded her of how alone she indeed was. When she breathed, soft wisps of clouds left her lips, the constant sound of dripping water followed her in these metal, blue walls. She hated it. She missed her warm house, where her stuffed toys and blanket were, where Codsworth was.

The bay door slides apart as she began towards it, letting out a soft noise of relief as she saw the emptied corridor. The hallway was once filled with people and scientists, but now all that laid was a scattered toolbox, and a few other miscellaneous possessions laid alone. She longed for the steady hand that guided her this far before, and the voices that echoed off the metal shell of the Vault.

Now all she heard was her heavy breathing and the spattering of the dripping water. Everything was cold and foggy, making everything even more uncomfortable. She felt as if a monster, maybe the rubber-skinned one that took her Uncle away- would be here any minute to snatch her up.

Clinging to her damp stuffed companion, she stood before the tall door, tilting her head when it wouldn't open. She placed a hand upon the chilled metal, feeling a shiver journey from her palm to her spine. Eva gulped, realizing the entrance would not open for her. She looked about the short hall, two doors stood opposite the wall of the other.

She held onto the doll tighter, brushing her cheek against the head of the thing as she attempted the next door beside her, watching it open before her. She exhaled a breath she had not realized when she saw the next room. Her chest heaved with sudden excitement, as she knew adults must be close. Someone who help children like her find her Uncle or get her Aunt out of those cold pods- any adult, who could fix what was happening to her.

That was what adults did. Uncle Nate had taught her to go to adults for problems, from scraped knees to feeling lost on a math problem. The sight before her came alive as the door slid upward into the wall, a long, blue staircase stood before her.

The stairsteps had minor aging, some of the yellow paint had chipped, as the metal beneath her had rusted from the constant moisture in the air. She felt she would slip and fall from the slick texture of the flooring beneath her feet. Her black boots squeak as she held onto the saturated railing, using it as support as her other hand pressed tightly against the doll on her chest.

Her steps echoed, intertwining with the other noises- she couldn't help but feel the isolation. As she entered the new area of the Vault, she noticed the fog was less dense here, in this small room, yet outside the window, she could still see the thick fog that lingered where the pods had been. Eva's eyes were unfocused, simply roaming as she strolled her way through before she saw a large, darkened spot on the window.

Tilting her head, she attempted to get a closer look- only for the spot to crawl down from the window, towards the metal floor. Her heart sank, beating against her ribcage to a painful degree. It was some giant bug! The biggest she had ever seen! Her free hand went to the collar of her sweater, taking a cautious step back as the bug seemed to take more interest in something else, flying off the window- she realized it had been on the other side of the window pane.

She stood there, struggling to recover- she swallowed thickly as she squeezed the comfort item, evening her breath. Her hands were holding tightly on her sweater so she would not pull her hair again- Uncle said it was a bad habit and she needed to learn to stop. She bit her lip, chewing at the inner flesh of her lower lip until she felt a calm wave over her once more. She inhaled, releasing all the tension in her body.

Moving forward, she took a moment to scan the layout of the lower section she had indentured to- the small place only had one sliding door, so, she began towards it. Her eyes glance back to the higher zone she had just departed from, she had no idea of how large this vault was so she may might get lost.

Eva made a mental note as she walked through, she wished she had some chalk, she had some in her room, but she was rushed out so fast, she couldn't have brought anything but Booboo. The next door was just as the others, unadorned with the yellow label of '111' upon it. The door opened for her when she stepped forward, allowing her to travel further inside the maze she had been stuck in.

The long, curling corridor had beige paint to it, perhaps she was near the end! The lights dimmed, this room had no fog, but the dust was flowing inside the room inside the rays of shining illuminations. Her pace quickened, finding yet, another door in front of her. She was becoming sick of the sight of doors and new rooms and then another door. She looked down to Booboo.

She tried to soothe her nerves humming a song, humming a quiet tone her Aunt would play while she read over a case. It was a song her mother used to love when she was younger, as she was told. She swayed her head to the tune in her mind, as the next sliding door released her from the room, revealing the next one.

Blue returned to this room, it was much larger with a table only a few feet from her, when she scanned over her surroundings, she saw an opened kitchen area and another door. Her hand grazes across her torso, feeling the sudden realization of how hungry she was. She had been dreaming of food she almost forgot she hasn't eaten for a while, maybe a week.

Her mind perked at the idea of food, she first went to the table, hoping for a clue to find an adult with. The surface had been barred of possessions other than a simple Beaton, the one with those guard used in those news footages she wasn't allowed to watch. She held it, it felt a bit wet, almost hard to use with such a lanky handle in her tiny hand.

She had only a moment to think, as she heard the slithering of something on the hard ground, rolling her heels to see another huge bug, and it was coming towards her! She tried to step back, newfound fear and panic slowing her speed to sluggish pace, as the roach lurched forward, it bit her ankle, and despite the thick layer of her boots, she felt the painful pinch of the bug bite.

The attack pierced the flesh, she screamed, swinging the new found weapon as she banged it over and over the now crushed corpse of the insect. She flopped backward on her backside, looking to her bloodied ankle- the fabric was torn as around the newly opened wound was becoming painted with red.

She wept there for some time, in frustration, in pain, in fear. She slammed her fist against the floor, having a fit as she couldn't take it anymore. It felt like a nightmare, big, scary bugs, all alone, and the creepy noises that followed her in this vault. She slammed her feet against the metal floor, crying heavily, yelling until her throat was sore. This continued until her cheeks were streaked with salty tears, her voice was rasped and her eyes were dried from crying them all out.

After a moment of rocking as she held her doll, she sat back up, going towards the kitchen area. Though, despite searching thoroughly, there was no food to be found. She felt so hungry, so thirsty, how could there be nothing? She went through the bedroom with the bunk beds, but it was bare. Everything was so bare.

The rooms were stripped, and without a sign of life but in the littering trash. She felt slighted, she just wanted to eat! She just wanted her Uncle and Cousin safe, or for her Aunt's pod to open! Why wouldn't anything work? She rubs her face in exasperation, letting out grumbles and murmurs. Leaving the room, she came to the next one. This one had some lighting shooting out from the large, box-like structures in the center of the room. This room was large but looked to the only house whatever these large, lightning boxes were.

Being soaking wet, she knew she didn't want to get a shock. She presses to the wall, sliding past before she heard the same crawling from before. She barely had time to smack the head of the thing with her Beaton before it flew up again. She hated that those terrible things could fling itself at her.

When she got to the next door, she found what looked to be an office of some sort, everything was muddled and messy, like the rest of the vault. The decay was still here, and she found something in the chair of the long desk. Her eyes fluttered at it; mind drew blank before she came to the sense it was a Halloween skeleton. It was October! She kneels before what she had presumed was a prop.

She stood back up, turning as she took a full look at the room.

"Hello? Anyone!" She shouts, she had wandered inside the Overseer's bedroom, finding yet, another emptied room. She looked through the locker, only to find a box of bullets and a single messager bag, thick blue leather with Vault-Tec's logo embedded on. She slid it over her shoulder, she promised to return it to the owner when she found them.

Eva grunts, trying to keep herself from boiling over again. Was she really all alone here? Vault-Tec was supposed to help her, keep her safe. She returned to the main office for the overseer, guns scattered alongside the surface with some needles-like weapons. Her eyebrows furrow, knowing what this was, a stimpack. She hated stimpacks! She had to take one when she broke her arm riding a bike, Uncle shoved it into her arm and pressed the button. Something foreign, wrong, entered her, going through her bloodstream.

But her broken arm healed on the way to the hospital, they were so fast and when she grew used to the feeling, painless. They came commonly in first aid kits and even Aunt Nora had some stored in the bathroom's mirror cabinet. She grabbed one, stabbing the needle into her shoulder as she pushed the chemicals into her bloodstream. She felt them course, making her fingers curl in reaction.

The wound on her ankle, the minor bruises of being tossed out of the pod and frostbite faded from her skin. She grabbed the next two, placing them inside the emptied bag as she continued around the room, anything that looked interesting she would take. For a child, anything shiny or unique to her world view.

She saw the gun on the counter; Uncle Nate would be so angry if he saw her with a gun without adult observation. He had taught her faintly how to hold one and aim, but she wasn't truly shown how to use one. She held the gun. It was so much more massive than one would think, the trigger didn't seem to have hesitation as she did; a quivering finger could kill a man without a thought.

The pistol laid a new weight in her palm, holding the handle tightly. The idea of shooting a roach up gave her more peace of mind than that Beaton that she had stashed away in her newly found bag- she would return it to whoever it belongs to when she found an adult. She tried to make her way out to the next door, seeing it not opening like the other one. Her hand presses to the door, but still, the metallic door would not budge.

"Dang it!" She shouts, stamping her feet as she was met with another locked door. She crosses her arms, taking the sight of the small room once more. The room but bare of everything but the terminal that still laid on the surface- she had taken everything else.

Moving the Halloween prop, She sat the comfy seat up. She seated herself as it creaked in old age. She attempted to start up the poor thing. The computer outer layer was full of decay of time and tears. Her caregivers had a family terminal so she could understand the general layout.

Her eyes perk at the option to open the tunnel door. She clicked it within seconds of reading it, before happily crawling off the chair and hurrying off towards the door. She lifted her shoulders, grinning with glee as she opened the door all on her own!

She ran towards the door, only to find the population of roaches that were on the wall. She moved slowly, lifting the pistol in her hand and aiming the barrel at the first.

She pulled the trigger, she felt the wind knocked out of her, the bones in her hand trembled. Evangeline cried out, stepping back and recoiling in sudden pain. Her ears rang as she used the hand holding her doll to grip against her earlobe.

She had only used a BB gun before; a real gun was so much worse. She barely had time to recover when the same creeping of insect feet filled the air. How in the world was there so many? With little time for thought, she had begun to bang the barrel of the gun as a weapon.

Each slam of the metal against bug made a disgusting crushing of guts and innards. She shivers at the sound, stepping back at the dead bugs she had just slaughtered.

The gun was now coated in bug remains, she gagged, tossing the dirty thing in her bag as she went for her Beaton again. Luckily enough, the gun did the job as a Beaton and got rid of the rest of the disgusting things. She stepped past the crushed spatters, going towards the next door.

Another beige room was what she was met with, she felt the tingle of hope drain from her form as she trudged forward, feeling near tears. She follows the curve of the room, holding the handle of her Beaton tight. She was going to get out, she would escape. She would find Vault-Tec workers and get her Aunt out, she would find Policeman who would get back her stolen loved ones. She felt so exhausted, so mentally and physically tired from running about the small Vault, she didn't know if she believed that anymore.

She couldn't go much longer, she wanted to go home. To see Codsworth, and if Ducky had been found yet. She came to the next door, releasing a breath she had not known she was keeping in her lungs and walked forward to the metallic pane to see if she was finally out.

The door slid apart, to display the room that seemed she was in only a moment prior with her Uncle. The room was cold, with a moist fog that lingered. The room smelled of stale water and something rotten, Evangeline couldn't put her finger on the odor. She moved forward, feeling the fatigue placing weight on her shoulders.

The roach came forward, barreling towards her before she swung the Beaton a single time, hearing the scream-like squash as it laid motionless, crushed to death in one smack. It was getting easier to kill those things, and she was happy for that, she couldn't handle another thing hurting her.

She sidestepped the props that littered in the floor and the sideways table.

She walked to the platform, and tried to remove the plastic cover of the button, grunting in another wave of frustration washed over her, she had begun to bang her fist on the plastic lid of the electric board. She stomped her foot once before she felt an object bounce off the blue, rusted floor. Evangeline glanced down, to find a Pip-Boy in the wrist of a decor skeleton.

Her Uncle wanted one so badly, but they could never afford one. Aunt Nora said he should have been gifted one for being a War Hero, she kneels, lifting the dusty thing to her face. She drew a smiley face in the dust covering the screen, she knew this would be a great present for her Uncle! She snapped it to her wrist, flicking a couple of the buttons until it came online.

She smiled at it functioning, wiping off the rest of the dust with her sweaty palm. The smeared screen still allowed her to see the Vault Boy holding a thumbs up at her, making her instinctively copy his gesture back at the screen. She copied the Vault Boy's thumb pose when she saw it- her Uncle would laugh when she did it. Her face fell as she tore her eyes from the screen, finding herself isolated with only the hums of the machine to be her friend.

Evangeline was happy for a new toy, but she still needed to get out of the metal cage. She felt the hanging cord from the Pip-Boy dangling and bumping against her stomach, she grabbed it and glanced over the metal piece meant to connect to something. So, she inserted it inside the hole of the board, joyous as it entered, and the plastic lid flew upward.

She nearly jumped in pure joy for how fast that was- she was almost out! Almost to adults! She slammed her palm against the button. Her reaction was cut short only seconds in her celebration by the sudden flashing of lights.

'Vault door cycling sequence initiated. Please stand back.'

The Vault suddenly became dim, with only flashing white lights being the source of electricity. An orange circling spotlight began to activate- so much happened at once that Evangeline covered her ears, whining at the surroundings becoming slurred and different.

The Vault door was unsealed by the box machine that hooked from the ceiling moving forward, connecting to the door and pulling it side, so she was quick to hurry and climb atop the gate platform. The machine shook to action, beginning to connect to the Vault door slowly. It squeaked and whined in protest as it was rusted and time withered, barely able to make the journey to get her to the other side.

There, she was met with the same steps she was forced up with her Uncle, the same water dripping and robotic hums she had grown used to. The paint was rusted and peeled, giving the place an abandoned, aged appearance. The metal husk of the bunker was silent other than what she did, how her footsteps echoed, how her voice traveled through the halls. The total isolation was bringing her closer to panic. The lack of adults and live made her so nervous, she couldn't wait to get out of the Vault, to see adults and Louis.

The adrenaline was fading, she could feel the weakness in her legs and the wear of her mind. She could imagine nights of falling asleep on her Uncle's lap while listening to the Silver Shroud, where she would be half awake as she was carried to her bedroom, then tucked in. She would be given a kiss on the forehead by him, his warm palm running over her cheek. She ran her petite hand over her cheek in the same fashion, hoping for the same effect- but her chilled flesh didn't give the same comfort.

Nights of being sung British nursery rhymes from Codsworth and Aunt Nora's silky voice filled her tired mind as she made her way down the steps. The echoes of her own feet almost mocked her by how loud it was, how the dripping water rang in her ears, it was silent, lifeless.

Where were the adults? They were everywhere before, filling the rooms to the brim but now, now it was so quiet. Quieter than waking up at night in her suburban home, quieter than locking herself in her room after school to read books and poems, the silence was numbing her brain.

She stepped onto the elevator, and without her having to so much as lift a finger, it began to close the metal barring, trapping her inside. The child chose then that she was freed and safe, it was time to allow herself to give in to all the overwhelming emotions she felt. She allowed her legs to give out on her, flopping down on the floor below her.

Eva rested her legs, rubbing her calf as she glanced around her new surrounding. The shaky machine was slowly lifting her upwards. She hugged her knees to her chest, taking a moment to breathe- no adults were in the vault, they were all frozen, but she couldn't get them out. Maybe the rubber-skinned monster and her Uncle were in the surface, up above. But, that big explosion… what would that mean for everyone?

She covered her face in her knees, beginning to sob lost in her thoughts, of the realization that maybe she was all welling of tears finally beginning to pour. She whined meekly, allowing her shoulders to quiver and slack against her frame. She just wanted her Uncle, she wipes her nose, maybe Codsworth was still there, he always knew what to do, when she scraped her knees, when her caregivers weren't home and she needed a permission slip signed and it was the day of the field trip.

The darkness swallowed her, this time, she wasn't encased in strong arms and a soothing hand on her head. She was alone, shivering quietly, as she saw the entrance of the vault slowly open, sliding apart as rays of light shined through. It burned her irises, making her cover them at first as she was brought face to face with the outside world once more.

The warm washes over her frozen skin, her hand lowers from her eyes so she could see the beauty- all she saw a barren wasteland of death. The grass was dead or gone, the trees were stripped of life, and the prop skeletons from inside scattered the world surrounding her. It was so much more warm but louder, less welcoming than the vault. As her eyes roam the new realm she found herself in.

Evangeline could only wonder what new monsters laid awake for her here. The cold wind hit her flesh, as she slowly steps off the hard floor. "Hello!?" She called out, to anyone to hear her. She walked towards the gate, "Louis?" She cried, walking past the gate's entrance towards the dirt path she knew so well.

The dirt path seemed more ominous than the last time she had been down this road, and the times she and Louis had been playing in the borderline of the forest. The way they could run from the curves of the trees, using leaves and sticks as ammo, and chasing each other from one side of the forest to another were some of her best memories.

Now, the leaves were gone from the bark; the wildlife she had loved was withered and gone. Leaving a pit of a feeling she could not describe, a lonely, isolated emotion. A feeling of being the only thing alive in such a place surrounded by death. On the new lonely road, she headed to the place where she thought Codsworth would be.

Her home, Sanctuary Hills.


End file.
